


it's all so simple

by pepperimps01



Series: Slice of Life Fics [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Charlie Weasley, Baby Albus Severus Potter, Gen, Slice of Life, again a vent fic big surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29253525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperimps01/pseuds/pepperimps01
Summary: in which Charlie and Albus bond.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & Charlie Weasley
Series: Slice of Life Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113248
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	it's all so simple

_I don't want to get married. I don't want to have children. I'm happy the way I am. And if you love me, you'll be happy for me too._

Charlie had recited that mantra for as long as he could remember. He told himself in the mirror before he was ready to tell his family. He told his favorite dragon Topaz as he was petting her scaly muzzle.

“There isn’t anything wrong with me!” He bellowed into a puddle, staring at his reflection stubbornly. 

Topaz nudged him, tired of him venting to himself. He would laugh, run a hand through his messy red hair, and continue reminding himself that what he was feeling was normal. Wasn’t he?

His mum had persisted the most. Asking him every time he visited when was he ever going to find a nice young woman to settle down with. Eventually, he had told her firmly that the answer was never. He had fancied men for as long as he could remember. She, and the rest of the family had been accepting. He hadn't expected any less. But then the questions changed. When was he going to find a nice young man to marry and perhaps adopt children with.

At one point, he thought he had found someone. Alexander. A fellow dragon keeper. But he wanted things that Charlie couldn't give him. So it ended like that. Amicably, of course. No pressure involved, thank Merlin. But it still stung, like a burn from a dragon's breath. Except with less blood. And he recovered a lot faster and didn't need to cover it with a tattoo.

When he was a younger man, he had doubts about himself. When all of his siblings married and started to have kids of their own, the anxiety of being the odd one out definitely took a toll on him. Was there something wrong with him?

But as the years passed, those feelings subsided. He was happy where he was with his career. He loved his family. He loved his nieces and nephews and being the 'cool uncle' showing off his newest burns and scars-- usually overdramatizing the tale. And as time went on, finally his family stopped asking. That made his visits less stressful. He didn’t have to worry about them pestering him. 

The summer visits to the Burrow were always a rare treat. Sometimes he couldn't come for various work reasons. But when he did, he was always excited. One particular afternoon, all of the kids decided to play a game of Quidditch in the garden. The adults were responsible for making sure none of them were injured and taking care of the little ones. Charlie relaxed from the back, enjoying the sunshine and counting each child to make sure they were included. Lily, Vic, Hugo, Dom, and Roxanne were one team, while James, Rose, Freddie, Louis, Molly Jr and Teddy were another.

"Hey!" Hugo shouted. "They have one more teammate!" He pointed at James' team.

Charlie frowned. He thought there were enough kids for sure. Yes, Lucy was only four and couldn't play but Albus...

"Come on, Al, you're on the blue team." James groaned, already frustrated from the heat and his little brother.

"I don't want to be on the blue team!' Albus said stubbornly. "I don't wanna be on _any_ team. I hate Quidditch."

Several of the other children looked outraged. No Weasley hated Quidditch. It was in their blood.

"Don't be silly, Albus." Victoire said, looking at the younger boy kindly. "You don't mean that. Come on, we can be Beaters together." She offered him the bat, which he scowled and huffed away from.

"No, I don't want to." Albus shook his head furiously.

"He only hates it because he's bad at it." James mumbled under his breath.

"James!" Ginny snapped.

Albus, filled with rage, tossed the bat aside as he stormed away. It snapped in half from the impact. Lily and Hugo gasped in horror.

"Albus Severus, you're too old to be breaking things!" Harry rubbed his nose tiredly. "Come back here this instant!"

"I'll get him," Charlie offered, nodding at Ginny. "Don't worry Gin."

"Thanks Char." Ginny murmured.

Luckily it wasn't too hard to find a ten year old who seemed to think hiding behind a row of bushes and gnomes was a good hiding place. His heart dropped when he heard tiny sobs from behind the bush.

"Hey bud," Charlie awkwardly brushed aside the prickly bushes and sat beside the boy, who's eyes were puffy and red. He made sure his voice was quiet, approachable. Last thing he wanted was to be as stoic and apathetic as Percy.

"Go away. I don't want to play Quidditch." Albus said shakily. He turned to face Charlie, eyes shining with tears. He seemed to hesitate when he saw his favorite uncle.

"You don't have to, that's not why I'm here." Charlie assured him. "Just wanted to have a chat. Everything okay?"

Albus sniffed, shaking his head.

"Sorry, dumb question. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Albus was an open book, especially to Charlie, who had grown fonder and protective of the little Potter. He wasn't like his siblings or cousins. He was quiet, exceptionally bright but very timid.

"I'm not like them," He whispered, biting his lip. "I'm bad at everything."

Charlie snorted. "Really? The boy who nursed a wounded bowtruckle back to health at age eight is 'bad at everything'? Sorry if I find that hard to believe."

"But I'm not good at Quidditch."

"Quidditch isn't everything." Charlie said, summoning a handkerchief, which Al took gratefully.

"Still, I'm different." Albus said glumly. "They think I'm weird."

"Yes, you are. And that's what makes you so wonderful." Albus didn't look convinced, so he continued. "You know, you're a lot like me."

Al scoffed. "I don't play Quidditch though. You're brilliant, I've seen you play and I know you were Gryffindor captain. Mum told me."

Charlie nudged him softly. "I'm touched, mate. But no, what I mean is I was quiet too. I loved the outdoors, never really fit in with other kids my age. And that's okay."

"But you're so...cool."

"You are too! Well, maybe one day you'll be as cool as me. Though, don't aim for the impossible. Those aren't mutually exclusive."

Albus laughed lightly, which Charlie considered a win. But there was something in his eye that didn't seem right.

"Alright, Al?"

Albus fiddled with pieces of grass uncomfortably. He looked desperate to say something, but whatever was troubling him held him back.

"Is that why you never married?" He asked finally. Then he turned pink, mortified at how blunt that sounded. "I mean- not like you - I'm sorry I didn't mean to be rude."

Charlie chuckled, shaking his head. "S' alright, I'm not offended. To answer your question, er, no."

"I realize how horrible that sounded the second it came out." Albus said, looking down. "I'm really sorry."

"The simple answer is, despite my ruggedly handsome good looks and my charming personality, I chose not to marry." He explained, grinning. "I just didn't want to. I've dated several blokes-"

"Blokes?" Albus' eyes lit up, a moment that was so quick, anyone who wasn't Charles Weasley could have missed it.

"Heh, you bet." He ruffled Al's curls. "I dated, and I found out on my own I'm happy where I am. Just like you aren't forced to play Quidditch, I'm not forced to get married. Of course those two are completely different things but my point still stands. I love my family, my friends and career."

"And...that's okay?"

"Sure is. Why wouldn't it be?"

Albus seems satisfied with that answer. "I might not marry either." He said firmly.

"Eh?"

"When you get married, you become boring." Al explained as if it was obvious. "You're cool, and you have the best job on the planet. So...I think I'll be like you and stay single."

"Well, you're only ten-"

"I might date though." He said hastily. "Pretty girls, maybe. But I don't think I'm ready for that sort of commitment." He folded his hands, surprisingly mature.

"Again, you're only ten."

Albus shrugged, grinning cheekily. "Just kidding."

Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "We'll see. Don't worry too much though. Really you should wait until you know for sure. So...do you wanna play something? Just the two of us."

"Not Quidditch?"

"Nope. Whatever you want to play."

"Wizard Chess!" He looked up eagerly. "Please?"

Charlie nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You're on."

And the remainder of the evening, Uncle and nephew played chess until their hearts were content.

**Author's Note:**

> SOOOO this one was in my drafts since January. Short, and sweet because I had a medical emergency last week and I just want to rest.


End file.
